Last weekend I spent four days in residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island. AGP is a gem of a place, offering residencies year round in a super chill setting by the beaches on Toronto Island. Awesome people, very supportive environment – I highly recommend this resource centre to any artist needing a little time away from it all, close to nature.

I spent the time focusing on a new performance piece – “Virtually Yours”, a chapter from my in progress novel ‘other life’. I have been developing this piece with a new process – working with text as performance as a way to investigate and enhance the writing process. I have the privilege of working with the amazing and Internationally renowned artist Bibbe Hansen as Dramaturge and Director. Bibbe and I have been working together for years now, first collaborating together with the Second Front almost ten years ago. We are used to working online and have been running rehearsals together via Skype and Second Life. The piece incorporates video, machinima and live storytelling with sound by Liz Solo and Mike Kean.

On Sunday March 20 I presented a performance of “Virtually Yours” in the Beacon Room at AGP as part of their semi-annual Open Studio event. Special thanks to Louisa Milan, Pat Jeffries, Lisa Christinzo, Andrew Lochhead, Jay Shuster and all at AGP for the support and for bringing a great audience to the performance.

“Virtually Yours” will be seen next at Sci Fi on the Rock in St. John’s on Saturday, April 2nd at 7 P.M. in the Tolkien Room at the Sheraton Hotel, Cavendish Square. This upcoming presentation is part of a workshop with Bibbe and I about performance in virtual worlds. Bibbe will participate from New York via Skype.

Here are a few shots from AGP – photos by Mike Kean, processed by Liz Solo.

Made possible thanks to Roles 4 Women, The Canada Council for the Arts, Writing and Publishing Section and ArtsNL.